Selected Experiences of Pacific/Asian Families with Developmentally Disabled Children in America.

Chan, Samuel Q.

Pacific Asian families with developmentally disabled children have been subjected to many negative experiences in America which service providers as well as the general public often fail to consider. Events deriving from overtly hostile government policies (such as internment of Japanese Americans at the outbreak of World War II) and from insensitive immigration laws, have prevented families from obtaining the specialized services their children require and have contributed to multiple stresses which threaten family stability and well-being. The effects of such experiences compound the difficulties which typically exist among families with developmentally disabled children. Many ethnic families with such children cannot be legitimately evaluated and understood in terms of strictly clinical perspectives. Consideration must be given to the distinct historical, socioeconomic, and political contexts in which these families exist. (Author/WI)